OCULAR PAIN

“Pain” is a word of limited value in reporting eye problems. One needs to resort to the rich thesaurus of language. There are certainly occasions on which the problem is only resolved with the help of an interpreter!

Surface irritation is suggested by burning, scratchiness, grittiness, dryness and foreign body sensation. There are many possible causes, each of which can be addressed specifically.

Deeper discomfort relates to ache, strain, heaviness, pressure, tightness, headache, etc. Confounding assessment is the complexity of the nerve pathways of sensation. These arise as a consequence of the embryological development of the head, neck and brain. Thus many of the deeper “pain” sensations referred to the eye arise within the neck and shoulders. As a highly trained medical graduate, your Eye Associates ophthalmologist can by way of history and examination isolate the source of the sensation.

Deep “eye pain” is not commonly caused by serious eye problems such as inflammation or high eye pressure. If the eye is red or blurred in particular, these concerns do need to be excluded by your Eye Associates eye surgeon at the microscope, as they are not otherwise recognisable.